Mean, Median, Mode, and Range/Transcript
Transcript Title text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. A boy, Tim, stares at a sheet of paper. His robot friend, Moby, comes into the room and beeps. TIM: No, it's a spelling test I took. Moby beeps. TIM: No, you can't see it. It's my test. Tests are private. Moby hands Tim a letter and beeps. Text reads as Tim narrates: Dear Tim and Moby, I’m always getting mean, median, mode, and range mixed up. Can you tell me the difference? From, Lola TIM: Sure thing. Take this spelling test that my class just took. Moby tries to peek at Tim’s test. Tim holds the paper close to his chest. TIM: Our teacher posted the scores on the blackboard; without any names, of course. On-screen, a teacher stands next to a blackboard. Written on the blackboard in chalk is a list of spelling test scores, reading: 64, 77, 79, 80, 84, 86, 90, 90, 94, 96, 97, 98. TIM: We use the terms mean, median, mode, and range when we're talking about a list of numbers like this one. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores. A label appears, reading, range. On-screen, the first and last scores, 64 and 98, are highlighted on the list. TIM: Subtract the lowest score from the highest score to get the range. An equation appears, reading, 98 minus 64 equals 34. TIM: So the range of this list of scores is 34. On-screen, the number 34 is circled. Moby beeps. TIM: The mean is the average score. You find the mean by adding up all the scores, and then dividing that by the number of people who took the test. A label appears, reading, mean. All the scores on the list are highlighted. Moby beeps. TIM: Right, we can estimate that. It’s probably somewhere around…80, 85? Let's add the numbers up…and divide our sum by the number of scores, 12. On-screen, the scores are quickly added up. Their sum is 1,035. It becomes part of an equation, reading: 1,035 divided by 12 equals 86.25. TIM: Pretty close. Our mean is 86.25. That's our class's average score, the mean. On-screen, 86.25 is circled. Moby beeps. TIM: Let's look at the median. A label reads, median. TIM: That’s the number in the middle when the numbers are sorted in order. We have an even number of scores, so there really is no middle number. In cases like this, we find the mean of the two middle numbers. On-screen, the two middle numbers on the list, 86 and 90, are highlighted. TIM: Again, to find the mean, you add the scores together and divide by the number of scores. An equation appears, reading, 86 plus 90 equals 176. Another equation appears, reading, 176 divided by 2 equals 88. TIM: There. Our median is 88. On-screen, 88 is circled. Moby beeps. TIM: The mode is the score that occurs most often. A label appears, reading, mode. TIM: I see 90 twice. On-screen, 90 and 90 are highlighted on the list of scores. Moby beeps. TIM: And that's our mode. On-screen, the number 90 is circled. Moby beeps. TIM: So, it’s useful to know the mean, median, mode, and range when you’re comparing sets of scores like this. Moby beeps, and tries to look at Tim’s spelling test score. TIM: I'm not telling you what I got on the spelling test! Moby beeps. TIM: Don't you understand English? This test is mine! M, y, n, uh, m, uh, m, i, n, e! Mine! Moby stares at Tim. TIM: Go away. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Math Transcripts